


Didn't You Know?

by schizoauthoress



Series: Seven Days of Smulio 2017 [3]
Category: The Simpsons
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-03
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-11-07 02:29:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11049417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/schizoauthoress/pseuds/schizoauthoress
Summary: Julio divulges something he thought Waylon already knew. It involves Moe Szyslak...





	Didn't You Know?

"I think you'll like this one," Julio commented, as he poured a small amount of red wine into Waylon's wine glass. It was the latest in an impressive list of alcoholic beverages Waylon had sampled today, and as Julio explained, "It's a malbec from Argentina, and it has some fruity notes in it. You liked those flavors before."

Waylon took a sip, humming thoughtfully as he held the wine in his mouth for a moment. In a normal wine-tasting, he'd spit it out after, but since it was just him and Julio hanging out in Julio's condo, it wasn't like the rules actually needed to apply. 

And it wasn't like Hercules, curled up in his portable dog bed and gnawing happily on a dried pig ear, was going to complain. The little old Yorkie liked visiting Julio's home, because he always got treats.

"Oh, that _is_ nice," Waylon affirmed, then finished off the remaining malbec in his glass.

"I'll keep that in mind the next time I try to cook Indian food for you."

"You could let me cook," Waylon pointed out, "I cook all the time for Monty."

With previous boyfriends, Waylon probably would have been mortified to let his boss's name slip into conversation -- they'd either started out knowing or figured out quick that Waylon was carrying a torch for Mr. Burns. But Julio seemed to take the mentions as a matter of course. Julio would even ask, sometimes, a variation on 'Did you used to do this with Monty?' out of simple curiosity.

"You don't have to, but if you'd like to..." Julio shrugged. "Maybe we could cook together? It would be fun. On a day we haven't been sampling quite so much alcohol, I think."

"I'm having fun," Waylon said, with a little grin. "And if you keep lavishing me with the contents of your liquor cabinet, maybe you'll get to ravish me later. Then we can both have fun."

Julio laughed. "Silly. You don't have to be drunk. All you have to do is ask."

"Mm." Waylon set aside his wine glass and scooted closer to Julio on the couch. Julio watched, smiling, without comment. Waylon rested his head on the nearest of Julio's shoulders and gazed up at him. "Ravish me?"

Julio's warm fingers caressed Waylon's face, and Waylon leaned into the touch. Julio bent his head so that their lips met in a gentle kiss. When he pulled back, Waylon gave him an exaggerated pout.

"You call that a ravishing?"

"Sorry darling," Julio said. "My first impulse is just..." he trailed off to give Waylon a slow, soft kiss, only finishing his thought when he pulled away, "Mm. To savor you."

"Hm." Waylon suppressed a smile. "Acceptable."

They kissed some more, both a bit too tipsy and prone to laughing to make a sincere effort at making out on the couch. Waylon didn't mind. He felt warm and happy snuggled up against Julio, and even the idle thought that Monty would have scolded them for impropriety (were he present) didn't have enough sting to make him pull away. 

Another idle thought occurred to him, as he fiddled with the snap closure flap on Julio's shirt pocket, so Waylon asked, "Hey, Julio?"

"Yeah?"

"Would people be upset if they knew I was still co-owner of Moe's Tavern?"

Julio paused in stroking a hand along Waylon's back to think that over, but resumed almost immediately when he felt Waylon tense up over possible rejection. "Sorry. Thinking." Julio worked his lower lip between his teeth, then admitted, "You'd get a range of reactions, Waylon. Just like the two of you did when you remodeled the place."

"Are you upset?"

"I don't think so." Julio kissed Waylon's temple. "Why do you think I would be?"

Waylon answered, "Moe lied about being gay, and people were hurt by it."

"But," Julio pointed out, "they should also remember that you were the one who stopped it. You called him out on his lies in public and made him tell us the truth."

"I did do all of that, but I also stood by as he appropriated the superficial trappings of our lifestyle." Waylon sighed. "I thought it was a harmless sign of his acceptance for us, that he was more comfortable? But now I see that it just confused people. If word got out that I still co-own the tavern and work with him, it'd bring up a lot of hurt feelings from that time. And... now you know. So you might get upset with me."

Julio ran his fingers through Waylon's close-cropped hair. "I'm surprised that you have anything to do with Moe Szyslak these days. Why do you still associate with him?"

"I got the business running smoothly and made it a success to impress Mr. Burns," Waylon confessed. "And I did that so he'd include me in his will."

Julio pulled away from their embrace to regard Waylon with surprise. "You mean you weren't already?"

"I know!" Waylon exclaimed, privately pleased that Julio was as taken aback by the news as he had been at the discovery. "I worry... if the place fails, and Mr. Burns remembers that I have a stake in it... well, he's capricious enough to drop me as an inheritor again."

"I understand that part, then." Julio settled back on the couch cushions. "But I thought you would've told Moe to, ah..."

"To stick it?" Waylon suggested. He chuckled at Julio's nod. "It never came up. I assumed, but it turns out... I think his exact words were, 'Remember that time we ran the bar for the average gay guy, and it crashed and burned at the end because of me?'"

Julio snorted. He'd been a patron of "Mo's" often enough that he could call Moe's voice to mind, and that sounded like something that would come out of Moe's mouth.

"Moe explains that business has dropped off sharply, and he's not bringing in enough to cover the loan repayments in addition to rent on the space, so he's about to default, and..." This time, Waylon attempted an approximation of Moe's gravelly voice as he quoted, "'Funny story, I kinda forgot to take you off the lease, Waylon, so you're on the hook to collections, too.' I was furious."

"Oh no..."

"Yeah. But... you know, that bar is pretty much all Moe has, and I guess... in the end, I felt sorry for him more than I wanted to stay mad at him. So I chipped in funds to keep him from doing something stupid like taking out a predatory loan. Now I help him with inventory once or twice a month, and cover most of the maintenance costs, and the bar stays in the black."

Julio kept petting Waylon's back as he considered that new information. Eventually, he said, "I'm not upset. You're doing this make sure you and your business partner are taken care of, now and in the future."

"At least no one would be confused now if I called Moe my 'partner'." Waylon sighed. "I still can't believe he fooled so many people."

"Waylon, didn't you know?" Julio asked.

"Know what?"

"For many of us, the only reason we gave Moe a pass for all those weird slip-ups and awkwardness is because we thought he was..." Julio tapped his chin. "How did Dewey say it... your beau!"

"What, really?" Waylon sat up, brow wrinkled as he considered that. 

"Yes, Super Hairy Wonder Woman said 'Moe must be gay! He's dating Waylon Smithers!' when we were first wondering about it."

"Moe? My beau?" Waylon shook his head sharply. " _No._ "

Julio laughed helplessly at the unhappy look on Waylon's face, which only got stormier at that. Julio apologized, "I'm sorry. You look so offended it's funny."

"I'm not... he's a friend, I suppose, but I don't find him attractive at all."

Julio wagged a finger at him playfully, and mock-scolded, "There's more to a man than good looks, Waylon!" 

Waylon tapped Julio on the nose. "I know _that_. But Moe Szyslak isn't what I look for in a man, in any aspect."

"Poor Moe," said Julio, "never to know my luck." He kissed Waylon, and Waylon smiled into the kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> DaggerPen is the one who came up with bits of the dialogue I used here, as I chatted about the concept that grew into this story. She came up with "Moe? My beau? /No/." and I loved it so much I had to use it.


End file.
